


Let Me Help

by totallyevan



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Brothers, Diego is an insecure bean, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Luther is a worried bean, Other, Post-Apocalypse, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Stuttering, Stuttering Diego Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-06-02 17:26:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19446154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallyevan/pseuds/totallyevan
Summary: Luther is getting worried about Diego's silence and interrogates him during dinner.





	Let Me Help

**Author's Note:**

> I got a request on tumblr about Diego's stutter coming back, he's insecure about it so he stops talking for a while and I absolutely had to write it! Enjoy!

The Hargreeves went back in time, put themselves through actual hell and managed to stop the apocalypse. Diego developed a new kind of bond with his brothers and sisters, something that was more than just being siblings. Or maybe it was just that.

He couldn't live with them, he couldn't live without them. He didn't have a problem with it though. He loved his weird, fucked up family and he could confide in them, even though his stubbornness stopped him from doing so sometimes. But he couldn't tell them about every little thing. 

Especially his stutter. 

Was it going back in time and re-living his childhood that caused it to resurface? Was it seeing Mom? Having to work as a team again? He wasn't sure. But what he knew was that he wasn't going to let the others find out about it. He was going to stay silent until he practiced enough to get rid of it, just like when he was little.

Allison flew back to LA for a couple of days to spend time with Claire, Five was God knew where, Vanya managed to get a new, better apartment with the help of Allison's finance and everybody else moved back into the academy.

Diego was supposed to drive Klaus to the veteran bar today, but he never showed up. So that left him and Luther all alone, in the same house.

Great.

Perhaps if Diego got lost in one of the hallways he wouldn't have to look at his brother. That was the one thing that hadn't changed about the family. Sure, the seven of them were closer now, but not Diego and _Luther_.

Grace had just served them dinner, smiling eggs and bacon for Luther and two soft-boiled eggs for Diego. _If you don't want them boiled let me try something else, sweety! It's better for your health and you need to grow big and strong._ Thanks Mom, but he already was.

It was an awkward situation, to say the least. Just them, looking at each other while devouring their food. "So uh, is that better than the raw ones you eat?" Luther broke the silence finally, his words coming out a little weird, considering his mouth was stuffed with bacon.

Diego just shrugged and bit into his bread, chewing silently. 

Nice try. 

Luther swallowed the remaining of his food and dropped his fork on his plate, not angrily enough for it to bounce off but enough to get Diego's attention. "Okay what's going on, Diego? You have barely said a word since we got back. It's been three weeks." Luther stared at him, having a kind of concerned look on his face but Luther's expressions had always been unreadable. "If something's going on maybe I can help you." 

If Diego was going to open up to someone, it certainly wouldn't be to Luther.

"I don't need your h… h-help."

Fuck.

"Your stutter."

Diego wasn't just going to sit around and wait for a reaction; he got up, practically threw his plate in the sink and started to make his way out the dining room. But Luther grabbed his bicep before he could take another step. "You can't just run away from this, Diego." 

"F-Fuck off, alright?" He sounded way more harsh than he intended, but it wasn't like he cared. Luther wasn't Klaus, Diego wasn't going to trigger back memories that he didn't want to remember unless it was the moon. But who even talked about the moon?

Diego gazed at him threateningly, but he noticed Luther's expression soften, and his grip weaken as well. His own alarmed expression changed to something else but he couldn't exactly put words to it.

"Diego, I really just want to help. Don't shut me out."

Two hated that. He hated that _One_ just had to be the one to find out about his stutter coming back first. It could have been anybody else to interrogate him and it wouldn't be so hard, but life really just gave him the middle finger, didn't it?

"Why didn't you say anything?"

But he also hated that Luther meant it. He was being truthful and he could see it. He didn't want to have this conversation any less than Diego did, but he honestly wanted to help him, and he could _see_ it.

_Godammit._

Diego sighed. "You all would t-think less of m..." He couldn't even finish the sentence. Perhaps refusing to talk for a few weeks made it worse. But he noticed Luther's patience while he struggled to get the word out.

Luther was waiting for him to finish.

"Me." 

God, he felt so weak. It was embarrassing, really. He was always the one not to fuck around with, the ruthless vigilante and the one who _should have been the leader from the start_. But now Luther was opening him up like a can, and he felt exposed. Should he run?

"Diego," Luther started, staring down at their feet and then back at him. "We would never do that." 

No, no he was just saying that because that was what anyone would say, Diego was sure of it. He let out a shaky breath as he chuckled, mocking his brother. "Yeah, right." He pulled his arm away from Luther's grasp gently.

"No, Diego, I mean it," Luther started again. "We went through hell together, and you saved our asses, _my_ ass, how many times? You were there for us and we were there for you, and I don't see why that should change because of your stutter."

Diego stopped his staring contest with the floor and looked right up at Luther. Did he really mean that? Everything about him screamed he was lying, everything but his expression. His expression said otherwise.

Luther, the worst of the worst, meant what he said. It kind of made Diego nervous if he were honest. 

"You're right I d-did save your ass." Diego tried to hold back a smile, pursing his lips.

Luther returned the soft smile and let out a sigh, shaking his head playfully. "Yeah, yeah you did."

This was nice. 

It didn't go as bad as he thought it would. Diego's heart was starting to beat a bit faster than before, but it wasn't from being anxious, it was something completely different. He couldn't really describe it with words but if he had to, it would be relief.

"I won't tell the others if you decide not to, yet. But just remember it won't change how they see you or how I see you." 

Diego nodded, a faint smile planted on his lips. "Thanks, man."

Luther and Diego's relationship had always been complicated. The whole apocalypse thing made them realize even more they would never get along, and they were okay with that. But maybe, just maybe, things would be different from now on. 

Yeah, maybe they would.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is shorter than my other story but I loved writing this. Please mind any mistakes as English isn't my first language. Thank you for reading!


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